Annie & Colton's Romantic Peter Pan Wedding :)

Annie & Colton are two of the sweetest and most genuine people I've ever met - the kind of couple that just makes you so happy that they found each other :) This was an incredible year for them, with both of them starting new jobs, moving to a new town (and moving house twice!), starting renovations AND planning a wedding. Yet every time I spoke to them, they seemed calm about all the chaos, and really excited about their upcoming wedding day. When that day finally arrived, it was perfect from start to finish :)
Here are some of my favourite images that we captured throughout the day, starting with the Annie & the girls getting ready at the home of dear family friends..

Colton & the guys got ready at a hotel nearby, and then we met up at the Music Gardens for

the bride & groom's First Look..

As we were waiting for Colton and his Best Man Brett, there were these two sweet birds fluttering about on the rock near us - seemed like a happy sign :)

I love Annie's gown, and especially how well it suited her - stunning!!

 Mini succulents in the boutonnieres! Love it!

Next stop: Graffiti Alley! We met the rest of the bridal party there for some fun and colourful photos that capture the urban side of the area - this one wall mural seemed especially perfect for the wedding party colours!

And now for the venue.. Peter Pan Bistro has been at the corner of Queen St. & Peter St. for as long as I can remember, and has loads of character both inside and out. They recently took over the second floor and renovated it to have an event space over the restaurant, and it's beautiful. Lots of original details like the stained glass windows give a unique feel to the lovely and bright space. The best part? The restaurant on the ground floor is not only where Annie & Colton went on their first date, but also where Colton brought Annie to propose to her :)
(awww! I did warn you that theirs is a romantic story!)

So - believe it or not - this booth is the one that happened to be unoccupied when we went down to do a couple of quick photos in the restaurant, and it's the exact one where Annie & Colton

sat for their first date!

Many lovely personal details made the day extra-special - the people from Colton's work made this engraved stone for the happy couple (now proudly living in their garden), and Annie did all the chalkboard writing and drawing herself. The M&M's were even personalized with their names and a picture of them together! Not a planned detail, but I also loved what happened to the wicks on the beeswax candles as they burnt down :)

The speeches were hilarious and touching, and the food was amazing..

 First dance :)

At the end of the night, we went down to the front of the bistro for some glowy evening photos, and the next thing we knew, Colton had literally swept Annie off her feet :) From the calmness of her reaction, I'm guessing it wasn't the first time, and probably won't be the last either ;)

  Annie & Colton: You two are an absolute joy to be around :) You both possess a sincerity and thoughtful nature that made you great hosts on your wedding day, and will no doubt keep you surrounded by great friends and family no matter how far away you move! It was a pleasure and an honour to capture this amazing day for you!!

xo

Jessica + Norman

Venue: Peter Pan Bistro

Hair Stylist:  Anastasia Metro Hair Designs

Louisa & Ellie's Wedding Brunch Celebration at The Fifth :)

In case you missed it, Louisa & Ellie had a spectacular wedding last month in a 14th century Priory in England (click here to see those photos). Now that we're all back in Toronto, it was time for their celebration on this side of the pond - at The Fifth Grill and Terrace in downtown Toronto. Not only a great venue, but - as we knew it would be - a great group of guests to help the ladies finish off their wedding celebrations :) Awesome wedding and event planner Kris Chau from Not Your Average Party organized a fun and casual brunch, made all the more fun with a fantastic live celtic fiddle/guitar duo! Here are some of my favourite images capturing the atmosphere of the day..

 I love this: Louisa & Ellie's wedding bands (made by Andrea Apa) feature each others finger prints from their ring fingers!

These tiny knit dolls of Louisa, Ellie, and their little puppy Dewi were made for them by a friend :)

Guests were greeted with champagne to sip while they waited for Louisa & Ellie to
make their entrance..

If this freight elevator isn't one of the coolest ways to arrive at your wedding, I don't know what is!

 Ellie's wee niece got to be a señorita for the day, with a great Spanish party dress and castanetas!

Answering the quiz questions about the brides proved a great challenge - hearing the correct answers was highly entertaining for everyone :)

 I love this "sit proper" series ;)

Louisa & Ellie: it's been such an adventure over the past few months! Thank you so much for having us with you in England, and again back home in Toronto - we've enjoyed every minute of it!! While your lives might calm down a bit now, I feel certain things will never be dull :) Wishing you many years of love, kisses, and inappropriate jokes!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Venue: The Fifth
Event Planner: Kristina Chau, Not Your Average Party
Cake: Le Dolci
Musicians: Aaron Solomon
DJ: James Drummond
Wedding Bands: Andrea Apa, Apa Design
Photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography

Eleanor & Liam's Gorgeous Fall Wedding at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse :)

When I first met Eleanor & Liam, I noticed that they're one of those couples who - even though they've known each other for years now - are always holding hands or have their hands on each others knees. I love that about them :) For a couple like this, the joy in their wedding day has nothing to do with pretty details, and everything to do with a room full of love and your soul mate beside you. So months before the actual wedding, I knew it would be an amazing, fun, and heartfelt day. As it turns out, it also happened to be stunningly beautiful :) Here are some of my favourite images from this fantastic day..

The guys were very relaxed in the "getting ready" stage - and that was without even dipping in to the lovely bottles of rose gin that the groomsmen got as gifts ;)

 Looking good and ready to go - complete with a sword that's been passed down through Liam's

 family since the war of 1812! (more of that sword later..)

 There's something fantastic about bookshelves full of real books that people have actually read -

this one ran the length of the wall and seemed the perfect background, since it's a common love of theatre that brought Eleanor & Liam together in the first place :)

I love these reactions - especially Dad's!

We took these gorgeous ladies down to the Distillery District, where they turned heads
everywhere they went :)

 I'm so in love with these images of Eleanor on the little bench under the hearts!

If you thought that got a lot of attention, you should have seen the large crowd that gathered to watch as a piper led Eleanor, her dad, and the ladies from there to the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse for the ceremony! Thankfully they were kind enough to mostly stay out of the pictures ;)

an amazingly grand entrance :)

A post-ceremony photo with all the guests out front of the schoolhouse..

 I absolutely adore how the golds and oranges of the bridal party pop against the red brick
and blue woodwork!

 The beautiful hall, all ready for dinner - believe it or not, Eleanor had a ladies' night the night before and they did all these floral arrangements themselves! :)

 If guests wanted to see the bride & groom kiss, they had to get up and sing something for everyone - this might seem like a tall order, but it turns out this was a room full of very talented performers!

And here comes the sword! Not only great for cake-cutting, but also for the spirited Highland
dancing that followed!

Eleanor & Liam: I can't imagine a more perfect wedding day for the two of you :) It was a beautiful reflection of the genuine warmth and thoughtfulness that characterizes not only the two of you, but also your families and friends as well - may you have many many years of happy days together!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Venue: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

Maureen & Matthew's Comic-Themed Wedding at the Glenerin Inn :)

Looking back at Maureen & Matthew's engagement session in the Distillery District that we did around Christmas last year, I noticed something: my first impression of the two of them was that they were super-snuggly, and couldn't stop laughing. So it should come as no surprise that their wedding day was full of laughter and kisses in almost equal measure :) These two super-fans share a love of many similar interests, so they decided to go with a couple of those when planning their wedding.. when I asked if they had a theme for the day, the answer was "Comics & Candy" - and there was lots of both! I think what really set the tone for the day was Maureen's spectacular silver Vans, and Matthew's Marvel-themed pair to match :) Here are some of the highlights of one of the sweetest and most fun weddings I've ever seen..

 The couple chose the Glenerin Inn in Mississauga as their venue - not only a beautiful set of buildings, but there was some gorgeous fall foliage surrounding the property :)

First Look: I love how palpable the anticipation is at this moment of the day! And I especially love both Maureen & Matthew's expressions when they first opened their eyes :) 

 The fantastic shoes, plus Maureen's bouquet included origami flowers that she had made out of comic book pages, and was wrapped in her grandmother's rosary - I love those personal touches!

We were then joined by the rest of the Bridal Party, plus the Moms of the Bride & Groom..

 And this guy! Too cute for words!!

Guests started to arrive for the ceremony shortly after..

I love this about Maureen & Matthew: even though they'd already seen each other, and had spent the last couple of hours doing photographs together, they still both burst into tears as soon
as their eyes met as Maureen came down the aisle :)

Maureen's nephew read an excerpt from Dr. Suess' "Oh! The Places You'll Go!", which was perfect :)

 After the ceremony, we snuck back out to do a few fun photos before dinner..

Maureen painted this Deadpool sign herself, and they also wrapped all the little candy-filled pots in comic pages. There was a table with bowls of candy lined up in a row, right next to the Jenga blocks that guests signed with their happy wishes. The Princess Leia & Darth Vader flutes
were made by Maureen's aunt :)

The top layer actually had a comic strip printed in icing, which was pretty awesome - and the cupcakes were Wolverine and Deadpool (both delicious!)

 It's a toss-up who had more fun - the kids or the grown-ups ;)

Maureen & Matthew: you two had a day that was entirely, perfectly, you. It was fun, and sweet, and heartfelt, and most of all, full of love :) We are so happy for you, and wish you many years full of more of the same!

xo
Jessica + Norman

Venue: The Glenerin Inn
Hair Stylist: Reni, Studio 91
Cake: For the Love of Cake
DJ: Jeff, Impact DJ
Photography: Jessica + Norman, Jessica Lin Photography